How did cities operate in medieval times?@SafaAlai That's what the tags say. The reason is that most fantasy takes place in a Europeanized fantasy world. Which isn't to say I'm not interested in how other parts of the world worked during the same time period, but that would be outside the scope of this question.

Why were ancient cities protected by walls?I'm sorry, but there's clearly something I'm not getting here. Firstly, harvesting crops takes a LONG time. Secondly, unless the invading horde came at precisely the right time, what they harvested wouldn't be of use.

How did cities operate in medieval times?Wow, this is absolutely fascinating, thank you! How different the world used to be. It's funny because I'm sure Terry Jones wandered into a huge house and talked about how even the poorest person would have this. I wish I could find the documentary now so that you could help put it into context. Lots to think about, although I find it hard to believe that life would have been so bleak. Even in the slums of India, people look out for each other there. They may go hungry, but there's still humanity there.

Why were ancient cities protected by walls?Wow, they'd burn the fields on the farms?? That sounds nuts. Being a farmer in those days sounds pretty dangerous. Plus if you had no farms or farmers after an attack, you would have no food. Did they really do that?